Open Up Your Eyes
by EdithDoll
Summary: Harry thinks Snape's refusal to teach him Occlumency is because of the memory he saw when really, it's so much more. Can and will Snape and Harry come to terms with the real reasoning? Set in 5th year.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay, so it's been awhile since i've submitted a Fanfiction so I'm a bit rusty, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! :)**

**Some of the paragraphs may have been cut at the wrong place because of my attempt to fix it, sorry if that happened. Anyway, I think Chapter Two is much better because I actually had an idea of which way I wanted to take the story when writing it. However, I am not going to post Chapter Two yet. :) I'm hoping for some feedback on Chapter One first.**

**Please read and review! What you think of the story is always a pleasure! :) Also, I _DO NOT _own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. No copyright infrigment intended.**

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><p>"Mr. Potter! If you can't mix your potion correctly, perhaps you'd like to attempt simple mathematics? Tell me, if I were to deduct five points from Gryffindor for every failure you manage to accomplish in the last twenty minutes of today's class, how many points do you think your house would suffer?"<p>

Harry ducked down his head, partly to avoid any possible eye contact with his professor and partly to dodge the glares his fellow pupils were shooting him. The only people he wasn't receiving a fair amount of hostility from in the potions classroom were his best friends, Ron and Hermione, and then the Slytherins, whom wore broad grins, of course. It never ceased to amaze him how easily the bravery, friendship, courage and all around "all in this together" feel of his Gryffindor classmates could vanish at any threat to the House Cup. Especially when it came to their Potions Master, Severus Snape. After all, any student that wasn't a proud Slytherin had at some time experienced his bullying. Nevertheless, Harry kept his head down, "I don't know, Professor."

"Try _ninety_." Much to the Gryffindor's relief, and the Slytherins disappointment, Snape continued in his rather monotonous voice, "Of course I'm not going to do that," His eyes cut to Potter, "yet. My house is very capable of attaining the House Cup without any interjection from me."

Snape returned to the lesson and Ron leaned over to whisper, "Strange how they never demonstrate that capability eh, mate? That bloody git is their main hope, and that's just sad." Harry worked hard not to crack a smile at his friend's comment for fear Snape would sense it and turn back to badgering him, The "dungeon bat" had been rather relentless towards Harry for the past two weeks, not that he was ever really subdued, but ever since his occlumency lessons had began, and ended, fourteen days ago, Snape had grown a Harry Potter sized thorn in his side. Which only made Potter regret his thinking Severus was hard on him _before_. From the corner of his eye, he caught Neville sending him a small, sympathetic smile. Of course Neville would understand, he was often a first choice for Snape's torturing. His lack of real Potion skills being both a pleasure and a pain to the professor. Harry's targeting by Snape was definitely Neville's reprieve. At least one of them was getting a break, he just wished it was him.

What had caused Snape's sudden jump in animosity? Harry didn't know. Ever since he accidentally saw his Professor's worst memory of his very own father bullying him, Severus had been going above and beyond. An A bloody plus in tormenting. Maybe this was just how Snape reacted to kindness? Right after the incident, Harry had tried to apologize but his Professor would have none of it.

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><p>"<em>I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"<em>

"_Enough Potter," Snape cut him off, "Out. Do not return, your lessons are over. Permanently." With that he whipped around and headed for his desk, obviously expecting Harry to take his leave. But Harry, who had just been lamenting on about his father having been a great man, felt the need to get his apology out. Falling in step behind him, though the office wasn't that big, Harry cornered Snape in his desk, _

"_Really. I had no idea, and I didn't mean to. It's just so difficult to learn. I have no idea how to do this." He was panting still, sweat beaded on his forehead and drenched some of his shirt. It was indeed challenging. He'd never done something this mentally demanding and just reacted in defense. Obviously the wrong thing to do, he'd never dreamed his father to do something like that and he felt terrible for witnessing a scene that must have not only been horribly embarrassing but definitely not his business._

_Snape however, was struck by the proximity of Potter. No one dared to edge this close to him. He had what you could call a buffer zone about him to keep people at bay. Not that anyone would ever have a reason to want to get near the smelly old bat, but still. Harry had trespassed into one of his worst memories just to follow up by disrupting his personal space. He was so unnerved by the closeness his hand automatically twitched to his wand. He breathed in Potter's face._

"_Leave. Now."_

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><p>Harry paused then, taking in the older man's expression; Shock, hurt, disbelief, embarrassment, regret, anger… and a sliver of something he couldn't quite place, and had no time to. Because no sooner had he noticed there was less than a foot of space between him and his Potions Professor, Snape yelled, "OUT!" In a voice that was not to be challenged. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, spun on his heel and got the hell out.<p>

Harry summed Snape's abhorrence up to what had happened, paired with the fact Severus had never even liked him in the first place. Or maybe he was still bitter about not getting Defense Against The Dark Arts yet again this year when he had been supposed to. Whatever the reason, Harry didn't appreciate it. A hand shot up in his peripheral vision and as predicted it belonged to the slender arm of his other best friend Hermione Granger. She obviously had the answer to whatever question the Potions Master had asked but his eyes skirted right over her and he called on Harry, whose hands were glued to the desk. For about probably the fifth time this class Harry delivered the same exact sentence, "I don't know, Professor."

"Pity, twenty points from Gryffindor." Harry cringed inwardly at the gasps of horror, none of them coming from smug Slytherin. Hermione had put her hand down by now but chose to speak up anyway.

"_Twenty_? Don't you think that's a bit much sir? We have been skipping to the more advanced chapters, you couldn't possibly expect everyone to know the answers." Thanks Hermione, that'll do a lot of good. Still, he admired her courage, no matter how ill placed.

"I can expect you to speak out of turn, as you're doing it yet again. Keep it up Miss Granger and we'll make Potter's twenty a thirty." Hermione shrank down in her seat and when Snape had turned away Ron leaned past Harry to pat her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry 'Mione, miserable old bat just can't stand when other people are right." During their little exchange however, Harry had been watching Snape and saw him turn his head, clearly listening in to the redheads words. But before he could say anything to warn his friend, the potions master ended class.

"Thirty five points from Gryffindor, your essays are due tomorrow. Leave." The three friends stifled their groans and sulked out of the classroom, though it felt more like a dungeon. Come to think of it though, it _was _a bloody dungeon.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So here's the second chapter! :) It's slightly shorter than the first but I enjoyed writing Snape's part. I waited until I got three reviews to post it, and here's to hoping all those story alerts will turn into more reviews!... :D**

**Anywho, ENJOY! And thanks so much to Wishtofly, LIGHTNSHADOWS, and gslashfan for reviewing! :) And thanks so much to everyone who favorited this story and especially those who put it on story alert!**

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><p>His eyes scanned the room, automatically resting on Potter who was adding lace fly wings to his cauldron when they were supposed to be using fairy wings! He glared around the room once more, momentarily considering all his students may have grabbed the wrong wings. Sure enough though, it was only Potter. Odd how know-it-all Granger hadn't yet corrected him.<p>

"Mr. Potter! If you can't mix your potion correctly, perhaps you'd like to attempt simple mathematics? Tell me, if I were to deduct five points from Gryffindor for every failure you manage to accomplish in the last twenty minutes of today's class, how many points do you think your house would suffer?" Snape waited patiently for his answer, knowing what it would be, what it had been all class and the potion classes before this. Ever since…

"I don't know, Professor."

"Try _ninety_." Normally he'd be sadistically pleased, his version of ecstatic, to see the Gryffindor's shoot Harry menacing glances, but all it did was cause an unfamiliar, unrecognized and unbidden feeling to rise up in his chest. It was so unfamiliar in fact that he tried his best to act completely normal as he continued, ""Of course I'm not going to do that," His eyes cut to Potter, "yet. My house is very capable of attaining the House Cup without any interjection from me."

He turned with that to focus on the lesson and what he hoped were salvageable potions. Snape wasn't sure why Harry was bothering him so much more lately, he'd never threatened ninety points before. The boy wasn't acting any different then he usually did, perhaps a bit more crestfallen due to the Potions Master's own behavior, but other than that all was accustomed on the Potter front. Then why did he have this urge to strike out every time he saw the familiar dark hair of the boy? His green eyes rimmed by round glasses so very much like his father's…

Maybe that was it. His bloody father and their apparent difference. James after all had never apologized for his callous actions towards Severus, but his damn spitting image of a son felt the need to. The apology, the kindness, that was it. It just put him off…

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><p>"<em>I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" Harry hurried to apologize for his intrusion but all Severus could feel was the shock and the lingering feelings of rage, hurt and embarrassment of the incident, all ripped anew by his merciless tormentor's son's viewing of them. He didn't care anymore, no matter his respect for Dumbledore, no matter the Dark Lord's return, no matter anything. He wasn't doing these lessons anymore.<em>

"_Enough Potter. Out. Do not return, your lessons are over. Permanently." He proceeded to his desk quickly, fully expecting the boy to take his leave and leave him to reflect on the incident in the only manner of peace he could ever find._

_Being alone._

_But of course, like his father, a determined rule breaker, Harry followed behind him. Snape dropped into the chair at his desk just to come face to face with a far too close Potter. Automatically his fingers rested on his wand, ready to send the child flying if need be._

"_Really. I had no idea, and I didn't mean to. It's just so difficult to learn. I have no idea how to do this." Potter was breathing heavy still and dripping sweat, so close that Snape could smell it. It condensed on his forehead and soaked the front of his shirt and in that moment Severus's breath hitched and starting coming uneven. _

_Through clenched teeth he spat," Leave. Now"_

_But Harry only inched closer, apparently oblivious to the space he was closing until he was so near that the Potions Professor could make out perfectly his long lashes shading the emerald green eyes so much like his mothers, the sweat soaking from his pores and his pink lip's cupid's bow. In that very moment, for the smallest second in time Snape wanted to close the very small distance left between him and boy, to press his older cracked lips against Harry's young inexperienced ones.. It was so unexpected, even more so than Harry's intrusion into his memories, so outrageous that the only thing he could think to do was blast the word, "OUT!" into Potter's face._

_Harry spun on his heel, leaving a confused, bewildered and stricken Snape behind._

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><p>He could feel a cold sweat coming over him, he'd never felt that about anyone but Lily. Certainly not a student, and <em>definitely<em> not about another male. He had no idea what to blame the sudden compulsion on. The urge to strike against Potter came again.

"Can anyone tell me which wings are supposed to be used in this particular brew?" His eyes landed right on Potter, despite Granger's hand shooting right up.

"I don't know, Professor."

"Pity. Twenty points from Gryffindor." He was about to turn around, squelching the unfamiliar feeling he got again at his House's smug looks, when Granger spoke up.

"_Twenty_? Don't you think that's a bit much sir? We have been skipping to the more advanced chapters, you couldn't possibly expect everyone to know the answers." _The impudence! He could expect whatever the bloody hell he wished to expect! _It was true that he'd been skipping ahead to advanced potions, yes, but that was a necessity caused by the Dark Lord's return. Still he, as always, kept his calm.

In a silky smooth voice he countered, "I can obviously expect you to speak out of turn, as you're doing it yet again. Keep it up Miss Granger and we'll make Potter's twenty a thirty." He watched in delight as she deflated into her seat. He gave his attention to the rest of the class until he heard Weasley's whispered words. Taking a seat at his desk he dismissed the class, "Thirty five points from Gryffindor, your essays are due tomorrow. Leave." This time, he felt quite justified.


End file.
